Shudder
by The Manatee
Summary: What happens when an unstoppable force means an unmovable object? Turns out, the object crumbles. Fast. With Konoha on the brink of total destruction, a desperate council scrambles for answers. Humans finally learn not to tinker. All sorts of pairings, citrus, and out-of-character behaviors. You've been warned.
1. Prologue - Report

Shudder

Prologue – Report

Transcription of Scientific and Medical Observation team in regards to human subject 00975, for the human trials of mega-virus BK12-67 mutation strain 18266, of the seventh day of May, in the 127 year of the Uchiha Dynasty.

05/07/127U

Subject infected via infected blood samples into the digestive tract, orally administered, on day one of the trial, 09:00. Incubation of the new strain appears to be only four hours.

13:00 - Subject 00975 shows signs of excessive sweating, but appears otherwise unhindered. Samples of the sweat show that it is indeed infectious to others, the virus having completed its incubation. Subject shows no signs of discomfort.

15:00 – Subject shows signs of peripheral nerve degeneration, particularly twitching of the fingers and toes, however the twitches go unnoticed by the subject. A slight fever begins.

16:00 – Subject shows rapid deterioration, beginning with seemingly harmless excessive salivation. Only minutes later, the pupils dilate completely, the heart rate increases, and brain scans show complete shutdown of large portions of the frontal lobe of the brain. All rational decision-making skills, judgment, and self-preservation instincts appear to completely disband. Severe oral fixation, followed by an extreme spike in adrenaline makes the 00975 nearly impossible to contain.

17:00 – Subject temporarily breaks free of restraints, killing five orderlies before being contained. All communication abilities have ceased. Subject shows complete disregard for his own safety and the lives of others. Further breakdown of the nervous system results in severe jerks of the limbs and jaws. An otherwise silent subject, 00975 begins screaming at random, seemingly without control over the vocalizations. The increased heart rate appears too great for the vascular system to handle: bursting of capillaries in the dermis shows first as bruising, and finally as droplets on the flesh as blood escapes through pores in the skin, most intensely around sweat prone areas: face, under arms, chest, back, and neck. Saliva previously pinkened with blood now appears dark brown in color. Further testing shows that it is rotted tissue. Sedation and internal scoping show that the lining of the stomach has become necrotic. Bloody tissue expelled during fits of coughing further proves the breakdown of soft mucus membranes in the body. Subject changed into soft restraints after skin slippage begins.

18:06 – Subject 00975 declared dead. Subject collapsed into unconsciousness shortly after a severe fit of violence, lasting only a few minutes. Subject began seizing violently, finally dying of blood loss and asphyxia. Autopsy shows that breakdown of the tissue of the lungs was nearly complete. Findings of the autopsy are, however, inconclusive. Internal organs liquefy completely forty-one minutes after death. Bone tissue follows shortly after, gelling before finally liquefying, leaving nothing of the remains.

Full course of the virus: 10 hours. Mortality rate in humans: 100%. Infection rate in humans: 100%. Mortality rate in demons: 80%. Infection rate in demons: .00016%. Immunity strain in humans: non-existent. Immunity strain in demons: 99.7%.

BK12-67 mutation strain 18266 – Screaming Sickness: approved for weaponization.


	2. Surrender

_**AN:**_ I apologize in advance for how terribly short this is, but I'm preparing for my first guest in months, and it has me a bit overwhelmed. I may write up another chapter this evening just to wind down, but who knows.

**Surrender**

The Council of Elders sat, waiting; each hand trembling with fear; each throat choking back terrified sobs. The ninja standing in parallel rows breathed as silently as their tears fell. The ticking of the clock added to the still and silent frenzy of panic in the room.

When the doors to the chamber slammed open, each person sitting bolted to their feet, ad all heads bowed low, eyes seeking solace in the floor beneath their feet.

Three sets of perfectly polished black dress shoes came clacking into the room, where their occupants stood just inside of the door, shedding their fine woolen coats. Said articles were flopped unceremoniously onto the bowing heads of the ninjas nearest the door.

"Let's get this over with, shall we?" came the bored voice of the man leading the tip of the triangle of demons, "We have wasted enough time, as I'm sure we can all agree."

The Fire Nation Elders raised their heads, taking in the figures before them. The lead, and second tallest, stood with his hair in a low ponytail. His hair, eyes, and suit all equally black. To his right was the tallest of them; his build just as slender, with eyes and hair matching, denoting their obvious blood relations. The second, however, was clad in a three-piece charcoal suit with a blood red tie. His hair was cropped shorter than the first, and the somewhat sloppy and unusual hairstyle only seemed to enhance his visual prowess in the room. The third, on the left, was the shortest, sharing the same complexion as the others, but he was the only one smiling. The gesture stopped far short of his eyes.

The three men sat at the opposite side of the table with practiced grace, the two to either side of the lead settling their silver briefcases on the wooden table top. The two cases popped open with the proper combinations, and their lids were rested carefully backwards, revealing stacks of legal documents.

"We called you here today," began a large busted Elder, Tsunade, who ruled over the viallage the negotiations were taking place in, "to discuss the cessation of hostilities against-"

"Let's get this straight," interrupted the center demon, his hand flitting to his right, where a document was readily placed, _"We_ called _you_ here to _demand_ the full surrender of the village of Konoha."

The room silenced, jaws tensing as the pages slid across the polished surface of the table.

"As soon as you sign this document, the Imperial government will sieze control of Konoha, her assets, and her citizens, and all persons and properties will be taken under the care of the Empire," he reclined back in his chair, long legs crossing and slender laquer tipped fingers came to rest idly against his jaw, "Then I can stop all of this nasty wasting of human life, my brother will gain command of my army and the village. All under the blessing of the Emperor, of course."

Tsunade shifted under her formal garb, the mantle of Hokage becoming heavier by the second.

"And what, exactly, will happen to my citizens after the seizure?"

"_My_ citizens will be just fine," the tallest spoke, his voice all mint and lavender: smooth, but biting.

"We'll burn up the dead once, dispose of the infected ones, and imminuze the survivors," the shortest said, a dark gleam in his eye."

"Dispose-"

"Humanely put to rest," the center stated, slicking back a strand of hair, "There's no cure for SS, and it would be cruel to just lump them together and watch them suffer. Besides, by our count, only three direct citizens of Konoha were ever infected, and one is already dead. The rest of those outliers were simply… collateral damage."

"C…collateral damage?!" she stumbled to hiss, her bust heaving with outraged breaths, "Thousands of innocent people are dead or dying because you _things_ failed to contain a biological weapon!"

The air of the room became as still and as cold as a glacier. Still, freezing, stale. As if all of the life had been sucked from the room. Shudders ran through the ranks of ninjas, new and seasoned alike.

The lead demon rose to his feet with the slowness and poise of a deadly predator when it has cornered its prey. His lips pulled back in an malevolent sneer, his fangs becoming visible, causing members of the table to gasp in breath.

"BK-12 was not _meant_ to be contained, beyond the assured security of the citizens of the Empire. Obviously there is no reason to have included genocidal miscreants to that circle of safety," he slammed his hands onto the table, his eyes bleeding slowly into a bloody red, "Now either sign the treaty, or watch as every man, woman, and child in this pathetic hell-hole is eaten alive from the inside out."

Every eye in the room rested on Tsunade: some cold, others heated with fury, but most of all, these eyes were afraid. They were the eyes of fathers and others, husbands and wives, daughters and sons. And she was signing their lives away, no matter which path she chose.

"We will give you two hours to decide the fate of your people, Tsunade," he let her name fall from his tongue as if it were a piece of rotten fruit, "But make no mistake…. The Empire will win this war, regardless of your choice."

"And if I decline… if you unleash this madness and slaughter us to the last, like sheep, what then? What becomes of this place?"

"Easy," the smallest said, rubbing his hands together with barely contained love of destruction, "We burn this filth to the ground with any remaining souls in it, and then we will salt the ground, so that no human will ever inhabit this ground again. And then we will level the whole thing out, and build a trade city in its place. Every last shred that your people were ever here, will be gone. Life and ruin. A conquest as simple as this won't even make it into the history books back home."

Tsunade stood, ignoring the choked sobs and sniffles in the room, and removed her headdress.

"We will send a messenger when we've reached our decision."

The three men in suits rose and turned, moving like falling shadows, and left the room without a word, snatching up the coats with a flare of annoyance.

The moment the doors closed, a dozen or more knees gave way, including the Hokage's and she fell into her chairs. The atmosphere of the room came apart at the seams.

"Damned if we do, damned if we don't," she whispered under her breath, the shaken voices of the Council washing over her, "Shizune, what is the report on the current status of the village?"

The room went shakily silent again as the dark haired woman unrolled the report.

"The walls are holding, but without supplies, the village will be out of resources in less than a week. Only one well in the village is free of infection, but with the rivers full of bodies, the aquifer will be contaminated in a matter of hours," she choked, "Forces from the south have formed ranks. They show no casualties or injuries. Our death toll just broke the ten thousand mark."

Silence.

The demons stood at the edge of their armies, their hair ruffled slightly by the wind as they stared down at the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

"Well, Sasuke, what do you think of your new city?"

"It will do," he said softly, tucking his hands into the pockets of his trousers.

"You do realize, that if this city isn't the bustling center of trade by the end of the year, father will have me kill you, and all of those little citizens you're just _bound_ to get attached to."

The shortest chuckled at the quarreling brothers. The delight of his uncle's rage made him giddy.

"You have your lover back, Itachi. Don't pretend like you have any other interests in me or this village."

"Nonsense, little brother," he clucked his tongue, flicking his pony-tail behind his back, "I've invested quite a lot of money in this little endeavor of yours. If this city really does become a trade center, then the door to the north is opened. Our allies in Sand will be delighted with the increase in trade, and the morale will undoubtedly lead to massive enrollment in the Emperor's armies."

"Ah, your one track mind. War, war, war. Is it all you think about?"

"Well, the Emperor did give me control of his armies and all things therein."

"Father saw the malicious streak in you just in time to keep you from destroying other countries in lieu of the palace."

"Well, he did once succeed in burning uncle's harem to the ground," the cousin laughed sickly. As a member of a branch family, he had never been allowed into the grand palace, but the entire capital and seen the smoke the day the harem had burned, "Nothing quite ruins a courtesan like third-degree burns."

The three shared a laugh.

The Council watched as the messenger leapt from rooftop to rooftop, the signed and sealed treaty tucked securely into his satchel. She allowed her Hokage's helm to fall to the ground, now a worthless relic. The ninja had been released to be with their families for the take over, and the rest of the Elders slowly trickled out after them. In the office behind her, Shizune sniffled and straightened mountains of now irrelevant paperwork, resorting to her nervous habits. Beside Tsunade, a young man sighed, running his tan fingers through his straw-colored hair.

"Well, so much for becoming Hokage," he said solemnly, a sad smile wrapping across his visage, "Without the fox, though, I guess it was hopeless anyway. Without him, I'm just an empty vessel."

"That isn't true, Naruto, and you know it," she said quietly, her eyes never leaving the black swarms of the army beyond their gates, "You finally have a chance now to be like everybody else."

Over the wind came the sound of roaring cheers, the words foreign or muddled by the distance. A small party was forming at the front of the army, readying to make the victory march past the gates of Konoha, no doubt. A few well placed arrows flew through the air and killed wandering infected villagers, keeping them from the armies and their new prize: Konoha.

"What's going to happen to us, granny?"

"I don't know, brat. I don't know…."


	3. Customs

**AN:** After going back and reading my first chapter, I realize how vital it is to have my (on-again-off-again) lover proofread my writing. This boy has more than a few spelling mistakes…. I will be going back through and fixing that later. In the meantime, here's another chapter.

_**Customs**_

Sasuke lay languidly amongst the tangled bodies, the smoke from his throat curling up over his lips before dissipating into the heavy air. He took a long hard drag on his foxglove cigarette, the floral smell of the burning bloom canceling out the naturally acrid scent of a fire demon releasing steam. His dark eyes scanned slowly over the bodies, some breathing, some entirely still, and a smirk crawled over his lips. He was glad his bed was never entirely silent. It would make being surrounded by breathing humans easier.

His expression faltered only slightly when a pale hand stroked languidly over his equally pale thigh.

"Mmm…. My Lord, have you rested?" pale eyes sought his out, the lilac irises clouded from too much love-making and far too little sleep.

"Enough," he said quietly as other bodies began to stir.

"Will we ride into the city today?" his courtesan asked quietly, his pale body rising from the tangle of other limbs, his dark hair flowing out over his shoulders.

"Yes, we will. Well, those of us who are able," he chuckled darkly, his eyes skimming once again over the tangled and blood-muddled sheets. His long fingers sought purchase in the dark chestnut mane of the other, his digits gliding through it like silk. It was something that both fascinated and annoyed him: no matter how he might seek to tangle or rumple the locks, they always became perfectly smooth. Perhaps it was a trait of water demons? He'd never bedded but the one, and such information was hardly likely to make it into books on the species.

"I am able, sire," the young man whispered huskily, crawling slowly upward to straddle the muscular thighs of his Lord, the transparent navy silk of his robes barely covering his lithe body. He had worn it today entirely on purpose, knowing that when his Lord returned from negotiations with the village people, he would be hungry. And with his lean body cradled in the sheerest of silk, he had ensured that he was the first to enter his Master's bed.

"Ah, Neji, when are you not?" he lifted the boy's arm slowly, placing a series of soft wet kisses to his inner wrist before giving it a sharp bite. The moan that escaped the throat of his pet sent an imperceptible shiver down his spine.

"Will you have me again, my Lord?" he rolled his hips, his erection already awakened, his body more than willing to complete the sensual act that gave his Master so much peace, "Will you take me before you take your city?"

Sasuke let out a low growl, his grip on Neji's arm tightening as he flipped their positions, pressing the smaller male deeply into the soft mattress. He ground their hips together as he attacked the pale column of throat beneath him, meeting his courtesan's arousal with his own.

"Is it my new city, or my new bride, that you worry so much about?" the body beneath his writhed as the sliding of their erections became too much to bear, his breath coming in weakening pants, "Ah, so it is that I will be taking a bride."

"I-I only fear that I will not be able to – ahh! – serve my Lord as f-fully…!" he looked up at his Master, his pale lips parted with breath and a flush dusting his cheeks. He loved his Lord, he was faithful to him in all matters. He knew more of his Master than some foreign bride would ever know. He'd been a part of his Lord's harem for over thirty years! What if his Master, to whom he owed all, could not be pleased by the foreign wench? Would He still return to his arms and his bed, when sleep escaped Him and passions rose? Or would he wither and die, like a forgotten rose, deprived of water and sunlight?

He bit the junction of Neji's neck and shoulder fiercely, drawing the thick blood of the other to the surface, lapping it up and savoring the flavor.

"You've never been good at hiding your jealousy. Even amongst my harem, you are known for playing tricks and taking revenge. Or did you think I didn't know? The whispers that come from many lips grow loud in the darkness," he husked, lifting his blood-laden lips to capture those below. The kiss was hardly romantic, a one-sided battle of teeth and tongue. The ever-willing flesh that spread before him, taking in both his tongue and his cock, writhing and bucking and moaning between the sloppy kisses shared. There was no challenge in vanquishing his courtesan. The boy was willing, and he took him savagely whenever he chose. Yet he pulled away from each savage session without a mark. There was never so much as a scratch as those pale hands gripped desperately at his back; no marks left in his shoulders by those pearly teeth.

He supposed it was his own fault. He had taught Neji his lessons hard and fast. He had broken him. Not his spirit, but his actions. Beyond the third night of ravaging, he had never acquired a single wound from the water demon that so often inhabited his bed.

Their flesh came crashing together, meeting with sharp smacks and deep-throated moans of passion. The long-haired boy arched and cried and whimpered as his Master drove into him with abandon, thrusts and grips that would leave him bruised and aching for days to come. And he loved it. He alone could claim the virginity of the man who brought the greatest financial peace the Empire had ever seen. He alone shared that first and violent taking so many years ago. He belonged entirely to his Master. For despite the fact that his Master had taken many courtesans, Neji had only ever given his body to one man: his Master. His Prince. His King. He had given all and he would give all for the happiness and success of his beloved Master. A fact he wasn't shy about vocalizing.

"Master!" the boy cried, his hands gripping tightly to broad shoulders, tears welling and spilling over his cheeks as the ecstasy became too much to bear, "M-my Lord! I… I l – ahh! – love you! My Lord, I love-!"

Sasuke wrapped his arms around the lower back of the other male, pulling him from the bed, deepening the angle of his thrust and moaning his pleasure. Obedient, broken, perhaps even meek, but his courtesan always remained tight and ready for him. Neji was the only of his harem who had ever received his royal seed, and it was only while laying with his long-haired slave that he could enjoy the fullness of his orgasm, filling the small male to the brim.

And it was this act that never failed to send Neji over the edge. Sasuke's seed, hot and thick, filling him with heat and life, sent him careening over the cliff of desire and plunging into a sea of delight. His body arched fully into that of his Lord, his pleasure singing through his lips in broken hymns of moans and pleas. He tightened around his Master, whispering his name as only he was allowed, and milking every drop of seed from the Prince. It was in that moment only, the tipping point of sanity, that Neji ever spoke Sasuke's name. He would whisper it reverently into the skin of the young Prince's throat and shoulders, stroking his pale fingers over the sweat slickened flesh of the man above him. Any other slave would be beaten beyond recognition at such insolence, but Neji alone had gained the honor of his Master's name. His Master. His General. His King. His Sasuke.

The larger male brought their lips together with a kiss as tender and as shaken as a cherry blossom in the wind. Such an act was another gift he had, as yet, bestowed only upon his most favorite of courtesans. His first.

"Neji…" he whispered against lips pinkened and swollen with savage kisses.

Neji looked up at his Master, and dare he say lover, and gave him a smile laced with tears. His delicate fingers rose to caress each sharpened feature of the powerful male, until finally they rested against his lips.

"Your bride will want for nothing," he whispered quietly, his voice nearly catching in his throat. Around them, the air had cooled slightly, the windows having been thrown open. The bed now held only the two of them, the others rising and leaving as they awoke to the passionate scene, leaving their Master and his chosen courtesan to bask.

Sasuke looked down at his slave, taking in the flitting emotions on the other's countenance, and felt his heart twinge ever so slightly. He would never have said he was in love with the courtesan, but there was something there: weak but tangible. Familiarity. Time spent together. Shared firsts. He opened his lips to give some form of comfort, a rare act for him indeed, but he was interrupted by a soft knock on the door.

His brother entered his chambers with the morning's rays, and Sasuke was thankful to Neji, who pulled the blankets of the grand bed up to cover his nakedness.

"So it takes a village to make you finally act like a spoiled Prince," his brother chuckled, reclining in one of the overstuffed chairs that bordered the window, "If I'd have known that, I'd have given you one years ago. As would father. I think the entire Empire can agree that you work too much."

Sasuke straightened slowly, allowing Neji to gracefully remove himself from the large bed and see to his Master's robe. The room was cool with the morning, and would soon warm with the day, but Sasuke immediately missed the searing heat of home. He shuddered to think what the winters here would be like.

Neji gently placed the black silk over his Prince's frame, smiling timidly at him as he tied it about his waist and smoothed his Master's hair.

"Neji, see that my guard is ready for the inspection of the village," he commanded, a regal tone in his voice as he stood from the bed and made his way to sit opposite his brother, "We can't let the people forget their places."

With a soft giggle, the courtesan bowed to the elder of the two, and then gave his Master a smile as he exited the regal chambers.

"You really have changed, brother," Itachi said calmly, drawing a cigarette from the pocket of his jacket and lighting it with a flick of his finger, "And in just a week. Imagine what you'll be like in a year."

"I haven't changed at all, Itachi. You're going senile," he sneered, looking out the window at his new village. It was true, it had been a week since the village had been accepted into the Empire, and in that short time he had managed to create his mansion (a rather easy task when demons were involved) atop the central hill of the village, establish a regular Imperial guard at the perimeter, and had begun the modernization of the village.

"Not as senile as some," he said, flicking a bit of ash to the floor, "It's your dinosaurs for villagers who are having trouble adjusting. At least they had electricity."

Sasuke chuckled. It was true that many of what demons considered everyday conveniences, were lacking in the village. Though they had electricity, the occasional movie, and some ancient version of radio, the rest seemed to have gone the way of the dodo.

"Getting this village paperless will be no small feat. And we haven't much time. The trade routes from the South will be using this village as a checkpoint in as little as a week."

"Well, at least you've gone an entire two days without any form of riot. The sheep seem to finally realize that you're here to help improve the state of things. Construction on the east end just closed, and the tenants to the new apartment buildings seem thoroughly pleased. In fact, one of my scouts overheard a woman bragging about her accommodations in the market this morning."

"They're about to see how good life can be," Sasuke said softly, the wind coming in through the window lifting and caressing his ebony locks, "And you…. You should be returning to your wife and children. I can only imagine how tempers may have risen since your departure. After all, your wife is pregnant for heaven's sake, and here you are riding off into battle and conquering a village. Honestly, Itachi, you need to straighten out your priorities."

"_My_ priorities? And what about yours? Have you even chosen a bride yet?"

"What's there to choose? I can simply pick any person off the streets and be done with this customary mess."

"Good hell, Sasuke. You've at least got to find one pretty enough to fuck! You will have to deliver grandchildren at some point," he sighed, pushing back his long bangs and staring at his brother with a sort of exasperation.

"Father and mother could care less where their grandchildren come from, so long as they're provided. In a few years I'll see that my harem produces any number of children. For now I just want to marry whatever lowly brat I must, tuck them away in a corner, and only have to see them when the occasion calls for it."

"When the occasion calls for it?"

"Social gatherings and that sort of thing."

"And when the rumors spread of your unhappy bride, what then? How do you sweep that under the rug?"

"Itachi, please. No one in this village actually wants to marry a demon. They're going to be unhappy no matter what. I'll just have to make up for that by giving the whelp a lavish home and money to burn," he frustratingly tugged at his robe, a nervous habit he'd carried since his youth.

"Yeah, well humans have this thing called a "fairytale ending" that they're going to expect from a royal wedding. Especially if mother's in charge, which you know she will be, and she ends up making a huge gala out of the thing. You remember my wedding. "A small intimate ceremony of family and friends"? The attendance was over four thousand. I'm _still _opening wedding presents I couldn't give less of a shit about. And you're the favorite. Imagine the spectacle yours is going to be."

Sasuke sank down into his chair, the regal air forgotten, and buried his face in his hands. He didn't want to be married, let alone to a human. Let alone to a foreign human. Let alone to a foreign human while he was still young and in his prime.

"Do you remember those stories father used to tell us of ransacking faraway ports and bedding wildly? A different woman in every port every night, for years as he expanded his Empire?" he looked up at his brother who gave him a nod, "That's what I want: wild abandon and no restraint."

"Exactly the opposite of the life you've lived," Itachi chuckled, blowing a ring of smoke out the window, "The most uptight man in the entire Empire professes to wanting a life of abandon. You know, Sasuke, if you'd said something like this before you'd been granted your station…."

Sasuke looked out at the gathering dawn, drinking in the silence his brother left. He knew the answer. They both did.

"I could've been free."


End file.
